


My Little Flower

by Missellaineous



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fairies, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, Thumbelina AU, cuz im keeping the talking animals thing, its a very minor death and its in the beginning, its not a canon character either, phichit is a bird, pocket sized yuuri, the first chapter is about hiroko, the nishigoris are mice, theres art now, who doesn't want a pocket sized yuuri katsuki, yuuri is thumbelina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-18 13:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10617990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missellaineous/pseuds/Missellaineous
Summary: Hiroko was not expecting to find a tiny boy inside one of the lilies in the vase next to her bed, but she loves her son more than she can say.Yuuri thought he was the only one in the world who was the size of his dad's thumb, but one day in his mother's garden he meets someone who changes almost everything he thought he knew about himself and the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for more than a month, and it's like my baby. Thank you so much to those who listened to me talk about it and gave me advice when I wasn't sure where I wanted to take it.

Hiroko loved the garden behind her family’s inn.

She was eight years old when she had run up to where her aunt was kneeling among the flowers. Hiroko crouched next to her and watched as she pinched the dead blossoms off of the stalks with well-practiced motions.

“What are you doing, Aunt Mariko?”

Her aunt glanced down at her out of the corner of her eye. “I have to take off the dead heads, so that more can grow.”

“You just throw away the dead flowers?” Hiroko asked. It sounded kinda sad. She dug her fingertips into the dirt and wiggled her toes against the edges of her flip flops.

“Actually, I put them in the compost pile. That way they can later be used to help keep the soil healthy.”

Hiroko peered at the dirt with curiosity lighting up her eyes. Usually she was too busy running around with her friends or helping her parents with the inn to go out and see what her aunt did in the garden. “You mean the smelly pile of old food and grass under the kitchen window?” she asked.

Aunt Mariko laughed. “Yeah, that’s the one.”

“All of that gross stuff helps your garden?” Hiroko peered closer at the dirt underneath the flowers, looking for egg shells and bits of newspaper.

Aunt Mariko nodded. “All of the things we put in the compost contains vitamins and other things that add nutrients to the soil that feed the flowers, so that they’re stronger and live longer.” She scooped a handful of dirt up and revealed a layer of the compost for Hiroko to see before replacing it and continuing her task.

Hiroko continued to ask questions that her aunt answered with seemingly endless patience. After that afternoon, she started spending more time with her aunt, and helped out in the garden occasionally.

 

Hiroko met her best friend, Minako, when she was ten years old. The other girl was training to be a ballet dancer, and Hiroko had seen her practicing in the school yard during lunch one day. When she’d asked her what she was doing, Minako had told her about the recital she had in a few days. Hiroko had gone to watch, and they had been close ever since. Hiroko was drawn in by the elegant movements of Minako’s performance. She continued to attend every local recital her friend was in, and watched the ones that took place too far away on television when she could. When Minako moved to Russia to study under a famous prima ballerina, they had cried together and promised to keep in touch no matter what.

 

Hiroko was fifteen when her aunt got married and moved out of their inn to start her own family.  All she took from the garden she had spent years of her life tending to was a small pot of hyacinths. She left all of her tools for Hiroko to use.

“I’ll come and visit soon, Hiroko,” her aunt told her while her new husband finished packing the car with the last of their luggage. “Take good care of our garden until I come back, okay?”

Hiroko had sniffed and nodded before giving her aunt a hug goodbye. She knew that her aunt was only moving to the next town over, but it felt strange to know that she wouldn’t wake up and see her aunt sipping her favorite tea next to the window in the mornings, or come home to her knelt in grass stained jeans among the flowers.

“I’ll come back and visit all the time, don’t worry,” Aunt Mariko said with a squeeze.

Hiroko let go reluctantly when her aunt pulled away, and watched as she got into the car and left. She waited until the car was out of sight before going back inside.

 

When Hiroko was seventeen, her aunt and uncle died in a car crash. They planted a cherry tree in the far corner of the garden in memory of them, and Hiroko planted hyacinths, her aunt’s favorite flower, around it.

 

When she was twenty, she got married to the sweet boy who had sat next to her during their last year in high school. They gave their vows in front of a crowd that included their families in the little garden behind the inn. Minako, who had come home for the ceremony, caught the bouquet and cried as she gave a speech during the reception. Seven months later, their family grew to include a beautiful little girl named Mari.

 

When Hiroko was twenty-seven, she woke up every morning at six. She spent an hour in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her family and their guests. As soon as she had finished eating she was cleaning the kitchen. Toshiya usually woke Mari up and brought her downstairs at that time, and they’d eat their own breakfast while the seven year old girl chattered on about the dream she’d had that night or something that had happened at school.

After all the guests had eaten and the dishes had been put away, Hiroko put on her old gloves and the hat Toshiya had given to her on their anniversary, and head out the back door to her garden with a quick kiss from her husband and her daughter. She spent hours tending to the flowers, checking the soil’s pH levels, keeping out pests. She’d take a break to eat the lunch that Toshiya had prepared for her. Sometimes she would create bouquets out of the blossoming flowers to bring inside and decorate the rooms with. She always kept lilies on her bedside table when they were in bloom.

One evening she was getting ready for bed, when a lily bud opened its petals and revealed its secret cargo. Hiroko was stunned to see a boy the size of her thumb curled up in the center of the flower. As she watched, the child stretched his arms and yawned before sitting up and looking around sleepily. It looked like his clothes were made out of blue flower petals. When he spotted her he squeaked in surprise and fell backwards. The flower dipped under his weight and she reached to steady it.

“Oh my god,” Hiroko whispered to herself. “How are you so small?” she asked.

The boy only blinked and hunched his shoulders in response.

Carefully, she reached forward with a finger and gently tapped him on the top of his head, almost as if he would pop like a bubble and disappear without any evidence he was ever there.

The boy squeaked again and covered the spot she had touched with his hands. He stared at the finger she had touched him with for a few moments before reaching for it with one of his hands. Hiroko kept as still as she could as he explored the ridges of her skin and the smoothness of her fingernail. When he was satisfied, he gripped onto her for leverage as he stood up on his precarious platform. She offered her palm and he climbed into her hand. He stroked her skin with a look of wonder and looked at his own hand as if comparing the sizes. She poked him softly in the middle with her pinky and he giggled.

“I wonder where you came from,” Hiroko murmured to herself. The small boy peered up at her with soft brown eyes that pierced her soul.

The boy seemed content to look at his surroundings from his perch in her palm. Soon he was yawning and rubbing his eyes. With her free hand she took out one of the drawers of her jewelry box, emptied it, and lined it with her softest scarf before offering it to him. He climbed out of her hand and curled up in the space. He tugged on a corner of the fabric until part of it covered him like a blanket.

Later that night, when her husband came to their room after locking the doors and finishing the day’s paperwork, she showed him the sleeping boy and told him what had happened. After discussing it at length, they decided to raise him as their own. There weren’t really a lot of options, considering that they had never before seen anyone of his size, and he had nowhere else to go. Hiroko refused to consider leaving him to fend for himself.

And that was how she was gifted with her second child, Yuuri.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri gets his own room and sees The Nutcracker for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've messed with Yuuri's aging process a bit, so when Hiroko found Yuuri, he was the equivalent of a four year old. So while his family celebrates his birthdays starting from zero like they would for a new born baby, he's about as developed as a five or six year old in this chapter. I just hope I was able to make him sound young enough to fit his age.  
> I am trying to make sure this fic stays light hearted, as it is based off of a cartoon and yoi itself is a very fun show. So while I am including stuff about gardening and ballet, I’m not gonna go into a lot of detail or do a load of research. Fingers crossed this approach works in my favor.

Yuuri loved his mom’s music box.

When he was little (littler than he was now anyway) she would wind it up before opening the lid to let the music play while a toy ballerina even smaller than Yuuri spun on her platform. As his mom went through her nightly routine to get ready for bed, he would copy the toy ballerina to the best of his abilities. His favorite nights were the ones when his mom would sing along with the song and dance around her bedroom with a soft smile on her face.

On his second birthday, his parents cleared out one of the kitchen cabinets and set it up so it could be used as his bedroom. There was a climbing rope made out of thread tacked in placed by thumbtacks that he used to get up from and down to the kitchen counter whenever he wished, a comfy nest made of soft scarves and other fabrics, and a box holding all his possessions. He did miss listening to the music box every night before bed, and the first few weeks he had trouble falling asleep surrounded by silence.

Two weeks after he moved out of his mom’s jewelry box, they had just finished dinner when his parents take him into the kitchen for a surprise. They urged Yuuri to climb into his room. Once he was inside his cupboard, he noticed there was a new box in the corner. He glanced at where his parents stood with smiles on their faces before he ran closer to see what it was. He gasped when he recognized it.

“Mama, is this your music box?” he asked. He ran one hand over the smooth wood of the lid wonderingly.

“Well we know how much you love my music box,” she started.

“So we found one just like it that you can keep in your room,” his dad finished.

Yuuri ran to the edge of his cupboard. “Thank you thank you thank you!” he said, and reached out his arms to them.

They laughed and his mom held up her hand for him to climb into, and with her help he hugged each of their faces and kissed their cheeks. When his mom let him back down he immediately went back to where his very own music box sat waiting for him. His dad showed him the adjustments they had made so he could use it on his own.

They set it up so that he could use a thread rope pulley system to open the lid easier, and changed out the turn key so he could wind it with his smaller hands. The kitchen was just far enough away from the guest rooms that the music wouldn’t bother anyone, and he played it every night when he went to bed. He loved to watch the toy ballerina spin as he lay in his nest and fell asleep to the familiar song.

 

The first time he saw a real ballerina dance in person, he fell in love.

It was in the third year after he blossomed, and his family had gone to see Aunt Minako perform in The Nutcracker while they left the inn in the care of their employees. She had given them tickets to see her perform as an early Christmas present. As he sat waiting in his mom’s purse while his family made their way to their seats in a private balcony,  he wondered if it was gonna be like watching a movie in real life.

Once the lights were down his mom let him out of her purse and he sat on her shoulder. Her hair tickled him a bit, but he quickly forgot about it once the show began. They had a perfect view of the performance, and Yuuri was mesmerized by the way the dancers moved on the stage. He wanted to look just as beautiful and graceful as they did.

When the lights came back on he immediately started to beg his mom to let him take lessons. “Please, I want to learn how to dance like Aunt Minako!” he pleaded.

“I’ll talk to her about it,” she promised him, and he beamed at her.

He knew it might not be possible, seeing as his family was extremely careful to keep him safe by only letting a few trusted people know about his existence, like Aunt Minako and his grandparents. But he wanted to learn ballet more than anything, and he hoped that Aunt Minako would agree to teach him. He’d do anything for the chance to dance like what he’d seen on the stage down below.

Yuuri went back into the purse, and they all went backstage to see Minako and tell her congratulate her on an amazing performance. They were able to find her private dressing room after asking one of the dancers for directions. Once inside, Yuuri was able to stand on her mirror stand.  There was a bouquet of flowers also on the stand, laid down next to where Yuuri stood.

They all took turns hugging Minako (Yuuri gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged one of her fingers, the only part of her he could wrap his arms around) and showered her in praise for how amazing she’d been on stage.

Thank you, I just hope it wasn't too boring for the kids," she joked.

"No way!" Yuuri burst out. "It was amazing! You looked beautiful Aunt Minako!"

Mari nodded in agreement. "Yeah, what Yuuri said."

Minako laughed and ruffled Mari’s hair. Mari ducked away and reached up to fix her hair with a pout. “You two are sweet. If you liked it so much I’ll see if I can get tickets for other performances.”

Yuuri couldn’t help but jump up and down in excitement at the thought of being able to see more dancing like what he’d seen earlier. The others laughed at his enthusiasm.

“It’s getting pretty late, we should get going,” his mom said. “Thank you so much for the tickets, Minako, you were lovely on stage. You should come have dinner with us when you have some time.”

“I’ll see when I can pull myself away,” Minako replied. “I certainly wouldn’t want to miss your cooking, Hiroko.”

They hugged each other one more time before Yuuri slipped into his mom’s purse and his family filed out the door to head home.

In the dark pocket he was curled in it was pleasantly warm, and the gentle rocking of his mom’s steps lulled him to sleep before they reached the inn. He didn’t wake up as his mom tucked him into his nest and carefully shut the cupboard.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas with the Katsuki's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably come back and edit it better later, but I definitely wanted to get this chapter out tonight, especially since after this we're gonna be getting into the main story line.  
> Also did you guys see that stuff about what happened at Yuri on Stage?!! And the Chihoko drama?? I am Thrilled at all this lovely news we've gotten, Thank You Kubo!

On Christmas morning, Mari ran into the kitchen right as the sun was rising over the horizon, eager to open the presents under the tree. Yuuri was already awake, and she helped him get down to the floor faster than he could have by himself. She ran to wake up their parents while he hopped onto his skateboard (made for him by his dad and given to him on his last birthday) and skated to the tree set up in the corner of their dad’s office. The rest of his family came in through the door just as he reached the edge of the rug under the tree, his parents yawning and rubbing their eyes while Mari was almost vibrating from excitement.

His dad distributed the wrapped boxes to each of them according to the names on the labels, and Mari opened hers first. She unwrapped a new makeup set, a couple of blouses, and the newest album by her favorite band. Mari hugged each of their parents and thanked them before returning to her spot sitting on the floor next to where Yuuri was perched on top of his present. She was already looking at the songs listed on the back of the cd case.

They urged Yuuri to open his next, so he stood up and grabbed the edge of the wrapper before jumping off the edge of the box and letting his weight rip the paper. Mari helped him by turning the box and moving the ripped paper out of the way. He was relieved once he was finished. His present had never been this big before, and it was quite the workout to unwrap the whole thing, even with his sister’s help.

Once all the wrapping paper was gone, there was a shoe box sat on the floor in front of him. He looked at it, confused. Why would his parents buy him shoes? Ones sized for regular people?

“Mari, honey, would you open that for Yuuri? And set it down so he can see inside?” their mom asked.

Mari followed her instructions, smiling when she what was inside of the box.

When Yuuri was able to look inside, he ran into the box to get a closer look. Against the back of the box was a mirror just the right size to fit all four corners. There was a gold bar stood up on two legs right in front of the mirror that reached Yuuri’s waist, its legs glued into place so that it wouldn’t move when the shoe box was tilted or bumped. In the corner was a pile of exercise clothes just his size (now it made sense that his mom had taken his measurements a couple weeks ago).

He turned around to see his family watching him, waiting to see his reaction.

“Why is there a mirror and clothes in a shoebox?” he asked, confused.

“I talked to your Aunt Minako, and she agreed to give you ballet lessons four times a week. So your father and I made you this little studio so you have a place to practice,” his mom told him.

Yuuri gasped. “I’m gonna learn how to dance like Aunt Minako?” He pumped his fists into the air and excitedly ran around his practice studio before running to hug both of his parents’ around their ankles.

They both smiled at him and his dad patted him on the back with his finger when Yuuri was hugging him. When Yuuri had thanked each of them Mari helped him back onto the top of the box so that he could see his parents open their presents better.

Next their dad opened his presents, revealing a brand new watch and a comfy pair of house slippers that he put on immediately.

Their mom opened hers and got a box of chocolates that were only sold in Kyoto, new gardening gloves, and a locket with pictures of Mari and Yuuri inside. She kissed each of them on the top of their head before relaxing back into her chair while their Dad shuffled into the kitchen to make breakfast.

There were four times a year that their dad made breakfast: Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and their parent’s anniversary. His eggs weren’t quite as good as Mom’s, but there was a special ingredient he put in his pancakes he kept a secret from everybody that made them taste amazing.

Mari picked up all the wrapping paper from the floor, and Yuuri looked around his new practice studio. He tried to do some of the dance moves he’d seen performed in The Nutcracker. He wondered how soon his lessons would start, what it would be like to spend his time somewhere besides the kitchen and the garden. His world was so small, he itched to expand it.

His family had warned him how dangerous the world was for someone his size, how easy it would be to disappear and never be found; for someone to just pick him up and take him, or accidentally squish him if they weren’t careful enough.

He was too small for the world.

After breakfast, they finished their chores and got ready to see Grandma and Grandpa, who were coming over to visit and have Christmas dinner with them.

Yuuri kept his mom company in the kitchen, reading her the recipes while she mixed and baked things they only ate once a year. (The food was definitely one of the reasons Christmas was his favorite holiday.) As the day progressed, the kitchen smelled more and more heavenly.

There were only two guests staying at the inn over the holidays, and both had gone out (probably on dates), so they had the whole building to themselves for the evening.

When their grandparents came through the door they made sure to greet everyone with a hug. They asked Mari about school while they sat down in the lounge to relax after their drive. Mari told them about things that had happened at school, things she’d done with her friends. Yuuri told them about how he was gonna be taking ballet lessons, and how excited he was. Their grandparents listened to them with smiles on their faces, and they asked for more details as Yuuri and Mari shared whatever they could think of with them.

Soon dinner was ready, and they all gathered around the table, which Toshiya and Mari and set earlier. Toshiya and Hiroko carried the food to the table, and after a quick thank you, they dug in eagerly.

Yuuri sat next to his mom’s plate, and she cut off small pieces of everything for him. His favorites were the pies with fruit filling that they had for dessert.

After dinner, when everyone was pleasantly full and Yuuri had surrendered and was laying down on the table on the edge of falling asleep, they put away the food and cleaned the dishes. Yuuri’s job was to make sure the tablecloth didn’t have any crumbs left on it, and he forced himself to get up and stay awake.

Once everything was clean and put away, they piled onto the couches and put on the movie. They watched the same movie every year, the 1951 black and white version of A Christmas Carol. Even though it was in English, they were all proficient enough in the language to be able to communicate with any foreigners who stayed at the inn, and they had all grown up watching the movie, so they all had the dialogue practically memorized. It was Yuuri’s third year watching it, but somehow he always ended up falling asleep and never seeing the ending.

Yuuri dozed in his spot in his mom’s lap, the soothing familiarity of the movie and his full stomach lulling him to sleep. His dad was leaning against the arm of couch quietly snoozing within the first 30 minutes.

Both of the guests came back while they were still watching the movie, and went up to their rooms quietly, not disturbing the family.

His mom gently shook Yuuri and her husband awake when the movie ended. His grandparents each gave him a pat on the head goodbye before they left to go back to their house outside the edge of town, and his mom helped him into his cabinet to go to bed.

Maybe he’d see the ending next year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how they celebrate Christmas in Japan besides what I've seen in romance anime, so I'm gonna stick with what I'm familiar with. I know it's a couples holiday, but I am under the impression that family do exchange presents as well. Google isn't telling me I'm too off the mark, so I'm sticking with it. Hiroko's mom is American, so she can be credited with bringing over some American customs into the holiday (and I think it's romantic that she and Hiroko's dad fell in love while she was staying at the inn on vacation).  
> Speaking of Yuuri's grandparents: because they aren't present in canon, they don't have names. I did choose Hiroko's aunt's name because of Mari, but Mariko's brother and sister in law are still blank, and I'd like to take suggestions for what they should be.  
> Oooooone more thing before I let you go- I'm considering writing one-shots for Hiroko and Toshiya, and for Hiroko's parents, depending on how much interest there is in these couples. I have a ton of headcanons I'd love to share, and this might be a great way to share them and bring them some more love. Since Hiroko's parents are oc's I understand if there isn't much interest in them, but let me know if you'd be interested in reading about either one of these cute couples.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri starts his lessons and makes some new friends.

Yuuri had always been somewhat afraid of Minako. She had always been kind of abstract presence. He had always considered her his aunt, but they hadn't been particularly close. She seemed so experienced, and somewhat removed from his small world of the inn and the garden. She was loud and boisterous, drunk half the nights she came over to visit, and she always seemed more interested in Mari, as they sometimes went to concerts together and gossiped about boys. When he thought about how he was going to spend hours alone with her, he was understandably nervous and intimidated. But he wanted to dance too much to let his nerves stop him. So when his mom announced that they'd be leaving soon, he'd dressed in his new practice clothes, taken his customary spot in her purse, and shoved his shaking hands under his butt as he breathed in and out regularly, trying to control his anxiety.

They arrived at Minako's studio a little after 1:30, so that the lesson could take place before the after school rush started and students started to come in droves for their lessons. Hiroko let Yuuri out of her purse once they were inside, and went to go sit at the edge of the room, where she pulled out her favorite magazine.

Yuuri fidgeted nervously on the floor as Minako towered over him.

Before he could muster up the courage to say anything, Minako started speaking. "We'll begin with stretching. Before doing any exercise, it is important to stretch and warm your muscles, so you won't injure yourself. Here." She put her hand down and he climbed into it. "You can watch me go through them from up here," she let him down on a shelf with a full view of the room. "So that you can follow me as I go through them. I'll correct your form if I need to."

Once he was stretched and limber she let him back onto the floor and began to show him the basic positions in ballet.

As the lesson continued, he realized that there was no space for his nerves as she directed him and showed him how to stand and pose. Although she was stern in her directions, she wasn't angry, even when he made a mistake or had trouble following her instructions. She merely helped him correct it and practice how to do it right. Once he realized this he relaxed, and it was easier to follow her as she gave him examples of each position. He got tired of the repetition after a while, but he was too shy to complain, and he just continued to practice each position in order, as Minako occasionally reminded him to straighten his knees and his back.

Once an hour had passed, she guided him through more stretches to "cool down his muscles" and reminded him of their next lesson in two days.

"Thank you very much, Aunt Minako!" he said as he bowed to her.

She grinned in amusement at his formality. "Anything for my favorite nephew. I'll see you on Friday."

She waved goodbye to him as he climbed into his spot in his mom's purse. Hiroko gave her a quick hug before they left.

During dinner that night, Yuuri showed off what he had learned to Mari and their dad, eager to show off. After he'd calmed down, attention shifted towards Mari, their parents asking what her day had been like, and Yuuri looked around at his family with a bright smile on his face. After spending so long carefully staying out of the way and in his own limited space, it was nice to have something to share along with everyone else at dinner. He felt a lightness in his chest that made him feel like he could fly, and went to bed feeling happier than he could ever remember.

They settled into a routine as the days passed and he attended ballet lessons regularly. Even as the newness rubbed off, he still fully enjoyed the chance to get out of the inn and move his body across the studio floor. He would practice on his off days in his shoebox studio or in a corner of the garden, reveling in the gracefulness of the movements.

A few months after his first lesson he was practicing by a patch of hyacinths, trying to make his transition from one position to another smoother, when suddenly he heard clapping. He lost his balance at the sudden noise, and barely stopped himself from falling by catching himself on a flower stem. He looked around for the source of the unexpected noise.

He saw a brown field mouse sat on her hind legs a few inches away, clapping her front paws together enthusiastically. "That was so pretty, I wish I could move like that!" She stopped clapping and came closer and smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Yuuko. It's nice to meet you!"

Yuuri smiled back shyly. "I'm Yuuri." He held out a hand, but instead of shaking it she ducked down her head and began sniffing it. He giggled when her whiskers tickled him.

He and Yuuko became best friends just like that, meeting up in the corner of his mom's garden to hang out and talk. Yuuri would show off what he had learned from Minako, and she introduced him to some of the other animals in the area, including a gruff mouse named Takeshi who sometimes joined them when they were hanging out. Takeshi was somewhat possessive over Yuuko's attention at first, but he relaxed as they got to know each other better and they became good friends.

 

It was Minako who introduced him to figure skating for the first time. She had been loosened up by a bottle of sake, and had commandeered the TV in the lounge once there weren't any guest around. She put on the women's singles event of the Grand Prix Final, and told Yuuri about some of the stuff about figure skating. "Look, Yuuri," she slurred, swaying slightly. "That's Kim Yuna doing a quad flip! She's the first woman to land it in competition."

The spins and sweeping movements reminded him of ballet, and in the back of his mind he imagined what it might be like to glide across the ice and fly through the air like the skater on the television did.

He knew that even if he wanted to, there was no way he could skate in an ice rink. They were too public, and finding or making skates his size would be impossible. So he shoves down the longing bubbling in the back of his throat and watches as the skater on TV glide gracefully across the ice, and ignores the familiar ache in his chest that appears every time he's reminded of how much smaller he is than the rest of the world and the limitations he has to live by.

That night starts a new tradition, and Yuuri starts to join Minako in watching every competition. Sometimes Mari and his parents would join them, but it was Yuuri who sat beside her every time, listening to her critique and praise the performers, and eventually sharing his own thoughts as his knowledge of ice skating grew. Minako was careful to keep him hidden from the eyes of any passing guests, and even when some of them stared at her as she talked to seemingly no one, she paid them no attention.

As he spent more time with her, learning from her and watching ice skating competitions with her, he grew less shy, and opened up to her (though he was still afraid of making her angry-Minako loved aggressively and with lots of shouting when provoked).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long guys, but life got in the way. My old laptop broke, I've got two part time jobs, and I'm about to move. Hopefully it doesn't take so long to get the next part out since I've got part of it finished already. Victor does make an appearance in the next chapter, so look forward to that!  
> Thanks so much to everyone who has left kudos and comments, it always put a huge smile on my face when I see them!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri has some doubts, and we finally meet Victor.

"Again, Yuuri," Minako barked at him. "You've done this a million times before. The only thing holding you back is you."

Yuuri gritted his teeth together as he went through the steps he'd been repeating over and over for the past two hours once more. His lack of inspiration was evident in every step, despite how the movements were technically correct. His frustration only made his dancing more wooden, though.

Usually dancing relaxed him. He could work out his muscles to the point where he'd be too tired to think, and his mind would finally be silent enough that he could relax. But right then everything seemed too loud, and it only increased his frustration.

Finally, Minako spoke again. "Yuuri, that's enough for today."

"But Aunt Minako-"

"If you do anymore you might end up hurting yourself." She gestured out the window. "Besides, Mari is here to pick you up. Tomorrow is a rest day, so take some time to get your head straight, and when you come back we can try again."

Yuuri reluctantly nodded at her words, his fists clenched. He forced himself to relax his muscles so that he could do his cool down stretches. He could hear Mari walk through the front office doors of the dance studio. She had just recently graduated with a business degree from the university in the nearby city, and now was focusing on taking over the business aspect of their families' inn. Yuuri was able to spend a lot more time in Minako's studio since she had returned home and was able to take him when their mother was too busy serving guests.

Mari came into the practice room. "Hi, Aunt Minako," she greeted.

"Hey, Mari," Minako smiled. "Have you listened to the album I gave you?"

Mari's usual relaxed demeanor was replaced with excitement as she started to gush about the artist Minako had introduced her to the other day. Yuuri tuned out their conversation as he finished stretching his muscles. When he was finished, he lay down on the wood table Minako kept for him to do his dancing on and waited for the two to finish their conversation. Most of the time Mari was laid back and calm, but she always became passionate when it came to music. His sweat cooled uncomfortably on his skin, making him eager to get home and take a bath and change into clean clothes.

When Mari and Minako finally finished their conversation, Mari let Yuuri climb on top of her head. He enjoyed being able to look down on everything that was normally taller than he was, and he liked to hold onto her headband and hide in her thick hair whenever anyone came too close to them as they walked.

Thankfully almost everyone was inside, and their path along the boardwalk was empty, so Yuuri could look around at their surroundings freely.

"Is something bothering you, Yuuri?" Mari asked as she walked down the sidewalk.

Yuuri shifted in his perch, careful not to tug her headband out of place. "No," he lied.

Mari let the silence settle between them, content to wait for him to speak again.

After stewing in his thoughts for a few moments, Yuuri gave in to the desire to confide in someone. Mari had always been there for him in the past.

"Do you ever get lonely, Mari?"

She hummed in thought. "Not really. I have you and Minako, and Mom and Dad."

Yuuri nodded even though she couldn't see him. "But if you want to, you could go out and meet other people. You went to school, and you can meet someone and fall in love with them." Yuuri shrank down onto Mari's head. "I can't do any of those things. I'm always going to do the same things over and over again, hiding from everything for the rest of my life."

Mari was quiet for so long Yuuri thought that would be it. After a few minutes she said, "Maybe not. You never know, there could be others like you out there. And even if there isn't, or you never find them, you're a part of our family too, Yuuri. We all love you, no matter what happens."

Yuuri didn't reply. Her words felt like empty promises, and he didn't want to believe them only to be disappointed later. He tightened his grip on her headband, and the rest of their walk home was silent.

As soon as they reached the onsen he retreated to his practice studio, running through the basics until he was so tired his legs were shaking. His sleep that night was restless, and when he woke up he was still exhausted. He spent the day with his mom as she did chores around the kitchen and the gardens. She let him stew quietly with himself, understanding that any conversation would be tense and awkward. She always knew when he needed space to think to himself. When he went to bed earlier than usual, she kissed him on the head and gave him his favorite pajamas cleaned and folded, along with a thimble full of his favorite tea. He thanked her and retreated to his cabinet, ready to sink into a dreamless sleep.

Hours later, Yuuri tossed and turned in his nest, too caught up in dark thoughts to get any sleep. Every else had gone to bed by then. His family put so much energy into protecting him, he sometimes wondered if he was worth the burden it put on them.

Finally, he gave up on rest, crawling out of the nest of fabrics and going down the thread ladder to the kitchen counter top. He climbed down the brick wall from the kitchen window, too restless to stay inside where he had to be quiet and sneak carefully to avoid alerting the guests.

Once he was on the ground he made his way to a place in the garden his mom kept clear for him to use. He stretched before he took his beginning stance. He started to go through the choreography he and Minako had been putting together the past few weeks. After eleven years of lessons, Yuuri moved with grace and confidence. He had to be more careful where he stepped so that he didn't twist an ankle, but as he went through the familiar movements the tension left his shoulders and his dancing became more fluid. He followed the rhythm of the music, telling a story with the curve of his arms and the line of his leg. A breeze came through the garden, swaying the flowers and blowing his bangs back from his face. With the wind blowing in his face as he jumped into a échappé sauté, he felt almost like he was flying.

Once he stopped in his final pose, the music in his mind came to an end, and he was left with just the sound of trees rustling. He starts to relax from his position, letting his arms drop to his sides, when he hears a noise from a cluster of violets close by. He freezes, alert to any other strange noises, all of his attention focused on where he'd heard the noise. When nothing happens immediately he slowly backs up until he's no longer in the moonlight. He picks up a small twig the size of his arm, and continues to watch that same spot.

He turned and starts running towards the inn, hoping that whatever might be out there isn't very fast faster than him.

As he escaped, he heard someone yell after him. "Wait! I'm sorry, come back!"

Startled, he tripped on a pebble that had blended in with the ground in the dark, landing hard on his hands and knees. The foot that had caught on the small rock throbbed in pain, and Yuuri winced as he tried to get up as quickly as possible.

"Oh no, are you okay?" the voice is much closer now, and he flips over to see who it belonged to. When he saw the figure lit up under the moonlight, his jaw dropped.

Standing there was a person _his size_. He'd always dreamed there were others like him, but he never thought he'd actually get to meet any of them. Then his gaze was caught by movement behind the other boy, and Yuuri gasped when he saw what had caught his eye.

He was a fairy; a fairy with long silver hair flowing down to his waist, and gossamer wings that were fluttering behind him. The fairy's bright blue eyes were staring at him, worry twisting his fine features. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" He held out a hand to help Yuuri up. "Here."

Yuuri stared at him, still shocked at the sudden appearance of someone that belonged one of the stories about handsome princes and magic. When he continued to sit in the dirt, mouth gaping and gaze fixed on the fairy without showing any sign of getting up, the fairy started to reach for him.

Yuuri jumped when he realized this, and immediately scrambled up so that he was standing again, ignoring the hand offered to him. Without looking at the other, he began to dust the dirt off his clothes and stuttering out the words that jumped to his lips. "That's okay, I'm fine! Don't worry about me, I fall down all the time." _What the hell, Yuuri._

The fairy frowned when Yuuri didn't take his hand, and then he drew back and watched Yuuri curiously. Yuuri's eyes flickered to him, unable to keep himself from glancing at him every few seconds before he wrenched his eyes away to stare down at the ground.

They stood in awkward silence for a minute, both unsure what to say that wouldn't scare the other away. Finally, the fairy spoke. "What's your name?"

"Yuuri," he answered quietly, barely loud enough for the fairy to hear him.

The fairy grinned and stepped closer. "Hello, Yuuuuri," he said, dragging the 'u' in Yuuri's name. "My name is Victor." He leaned forward on his toes until Yuuri was forced to look into his sparkling blue eyes.

Yuuri's breathing came fast, but he was too caught up in the novelty of meeting someone who belonged in a fairy tale to let the panic take over his mind and send him running. Victor was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. With his long silver hair, wings, and bright blue eyes he looked like he was made from starlight.

Yuuri ducked his head shyly, looking up at the fairy through his eyelashes and clasping his hands together. "Hello, Victor," he mumbled back.

Victor beamed back at him. He straightened so he wasn't leaning into Yuuri's space anymore, but continued to stare. Yuuri's gaze darted from meeting Victor's eyes and his own feet, too overwhelmed to keep eye contact for more than a few moments.

Yuuri's mind whirled with questions, and before he knew it he was speaking. "Where did you come from?"

Victor turned his head to the side curiously. "I'm from the winter court. Are you from the summer court? What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I-I don't know anything about a summer court or a winter court, but this is where I live." Yuuri gestured to the inn behind him.

Victor peered into the darkness and frowned. "You live this close to humans?"

"The humans are my family," Yuuri answered him.

Victor gaped at him. "You live with humans?! What's it like? How did you get here? How long have you lived here?" He asked a flood of questions, stepping closer to Yuuri while his wings fluttered with his excitement.

Yuuri stepped back, shaking his head and holding his hands out in front of himself like a shield. "I've always lived here! For as long as I can remember!"

Victor stopped and looked at Yuuri sheepishly, his wings now still. "Sorry, that was rude of me. I've just never met someone who wasn't from one of the fairy courts before."

Yuuri shook his head again. "It's okay." He looked at how Victor watched him like a sad puppy, and couldn't help smiling at how cute the fairy looked. "So, there's others like you? At the fairy courts?"

Victor shed his shamed expression and smiled at Yuuri, his mouth forming an endearing heart shape. "There are many fairies with the courts." He paused and looked into the distance, tapping a finger on his lips in thought. "From what I can remember: there are 215 with the summer court, and 186 with the winter court, including myself."

Yuuri's eyes widened when he heard the numbers. "Wow," he breathed.

Victor nodded. "Yes, we have been prosperous these last few decades. He turned his gaze back to Yuuri. "How many people are in your family? Are they all humans?"

Yuuri nodded and counted off his family members on his fingers. "There's my mom and dad, my sister, my grandma and grandpa, and there's Aunt Minako." He let his hands fall back down to his sides, the fingers of his right hand picking at the seam of his pants. "I've never met any fairies before," he murmured.

Victor smiled at him again, this time more shyly than he had been during the entire exchange. Yuuri felt an aching in his chest to see what other expression Victor wore. He pinched the back of his leg with his right hand, trying to distract himself from the desire. He had just met Victor, it didn't make sense that he craved his company so much.

A bird twittered in a tree far away, and Victor glanced in the direction it came from. "I have to go now." He looked back at Yuuri with an expression he couldn't decipher. "Yuuri, is it alright if I come and visit you again? Maybe tomorrow afternoon?"

Yuuri nodded eagerly. "Yes, I'll wait for you under the cherry blossom tree." He pointed to the corner of his moms garden where the tree was located.

Before Yuuri realized what he was doing, Victor reached out and took one of his hands, bending down to place a kiss on his knuckles. Warmth flooded Yuuri's face as he blushed when he felt the fairy's lips on the back of his hand.

And then Victor leapt upwards, his wings carrying him into the air. Yuuri watched him leave for as long as he could see him in the darkness. When Victor was out of sight, he turned and climbed up the wall. He was tired from the unexpected encounter, his brain too stunned to continue spiraling into the dark thoughts that had troubled him all day. Once he had reached his room again he climbed into his nest and stared up at the dark wood above him, going over everything that had just happened over and over again until the exhaustion was too much and he finally fell asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and finally getting to meet Victor. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to write the next chapter though, because I've joined a Victuuri big bang (which I'm pretty excited for), and I'm gonna be busy irl for the next few weeks. Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments and kudos, it really helps motivate me, and every comment makes me incredibly happy.


	6. Chapter 6

When Yuuri woke up the next morning, he wondered if meeting Victor had been a dream. It seemed too good to be true that after spending so much time wishing he wasn’t alone in the world, he had met someone who was everything he was looking for out of the blue. He was afraid to open his eyes in case reality set in and proved his fears right. As he curled into himself, his ankle throbbed in pain. He gasped, and then couldn’t stop a grin from spreading across his face as he realized that if his injury was real, so was everything else that happened. He turned onto his back and pumped his fists into the air as he wiggled in joy. He wasn’t alone anymore! And he was meeting Victor again!

He immediately sat up when he realized that he would be seeing Victor again later that day. What was he going to wear? What was he going to say? He stood up and winced when he put weight on his ankle. How was he going to get down to the cherry tree? He sat down and carefully felt the joint to see how serious the injury was. Thankfully, it was just twisted, and would probably be fine in just a few days. Minako would be furious with him though.

He could hear his mom making breakfast in the kitchen, and he limped to the door of his cabinet. When he knocked she opened it for him and helped him down onto the counter.

“Good morning, Yuuri,” she said with a warm smile.

“Morning, Mom,” he replied.

“Are you going to tell me what happened to your leg?”

Yuuri winced, hunching his shoulders defensively. “I tripped,” he mumbled.

“I see,” she hummed as she set down some medical supplies next to him and then continued to fix breakfast.

“In the garden. Last night,” he continued. He took a bandage cut for him by his mom and wrapped it around his ankle carefully.

She raised an eyebrow. “You went into the garden alone at night?”

He nodded sheepishly.

“That was dangerous, Yuuri,” she said.

“I know.”

“Please be more careful, honey.” She kissed him on the head. “I’ll tell your Aunt Minako that you won’t be able to go to practice for the next few days.” She gathered up the food and took it into the dining room for the guests.

He put some antiseptic on the scrapes on his knees, grimacing when it stung. His mom had taken it better than he was afraid of, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Since she had volunteered to tell Minako, it would be a couple more days before he had that lecture. He started wrapping his knee and his ankle with the athletic tape. He had a couple more hours until he should start waiting for Victor under the cherry blossom tree, so he’d have time to pick out an outfit. His mom would probably help him get out there when she went out to do her gardening. She’d spend most of the afternoon tending to the vegetables, so he and Victor would have some privacy when they met up.

He finished wrapping his ankle, and tried to stand up to see how it felt. It still hurt when he put his weight on it, so he sat back down to wait for his mom to return from the dining room.

He spent the rest of the morning with his mom, sitting peacefully while she worked. He hadn’t realized how much of his day was spent practicing ballet until he was forced to sit still. It made him a little impatient to get up and move, but his mom kept him from acting on the itchiness in his feet and hands. Despite how slowly the hours dragged on, the time finally came around for his mom to work on her garden. He asked her to help him sit under the cherry blossom tree while she worked, and she agreed without any questions (although she did warn him not to try walking around with a sprained ankle).

Yuuri sat next to one of the trees thick roots and looked up at the blossoms above him. Sometimes petals the size of his head would fall down, and he hoped one would fall close enough for him to catch. A windchime jingled in the breeze. As the minutes passed, Yuuri was so relaxed he couldn’t help falling asleep.

He woke up after who knew how long, and opened his eyes to find a pair of blue ones staring back at him. He flinched back before recognizing Victor’s silver hair and sighed.

“Yuuri!” Victor smiled charmingly.

Yuuri rubbed the sand out of his eyes. “Hi, Victor,” he said back shyly.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. It was hard to get away without anyone noticing.” Victor noticed the bandage on Yuuri’s leg. “What’s wrong with your leg?” he asked while reaching out a hand.

“Nothing much,” Yuuri answered. Victor’s fingers were gentle where they touched him, and his heart raced. “I just scraped my knee and twisted my ankle when I fell last night.”

Victor looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows. “I’m sorry, Yuuri.”

Yuuri shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ll be all healed in a couple days, and Minako’s been bugging me to take a rest lately anyway.”

Victor withdrew his hand and sat down next to Yuuri. “Who’s Minako?”

“My ballet instructor. I’ve known her ever since I was little. She started teaching me ballet when I was just three years old.”

“What’s ballet?”

“It’s a type of dancing. You have to be on your toes a lot, and if your arms aren’t in the right place Minako will hit them until you remember to keep them up.” Yuuri rubbed at a spot on his left arm as he remembered one particularly difficult day the week before. “But it’s a really beautiful art form. All ballerinas are graceful and beautiful.”

“Would you dance for me one day, Yuuri?”

He ducked his head shyly and his heart fluttered in his chest. “I guess so,” he agreed.

Victor’s eyes seemed to shine as he continued to ask questions about Yuuri’s life.

Before they knew it, it had been a few hours, and Yuuri could hear his mother coming to get him.

“You should go,” he told Victor. “My mom’s coming.”

Victor nodded. “Can I come see you again tomorrow?” he asked.

Yuuri blushed. “If you want to,” he mumbled.

Victor beamed at him, and Yuuri smiled back. They stood up and parted ways, Victor retreating around the tree and Yuuri waiting for his mom to reach him. She found him just as Victor was out of sight.

“Yuuri!” she called.

He waved at her to get her attention. She smiled when she spotted him in the grass, and helped him onto her shoulder so they could go back inside.

“Did you have a good time in the garden today?” she asked while she washed the dirt off her hands in the kitchen sink.

He looked out the window to the cherry blossoms were in the corner of the yard and smiled. “Yeah, I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for my long absence! I got to join victuribang2017, and it was so much fun! I wrote a fashion designer au for it, and I'm pretty happy with it :D  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Aren't these two just too adorable?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri get to know each other :D

When Minako found out about Yuuri’s ankle, she’d been livid. She gave him the lecture his mom hadn’t the first day he was able to take lessons again. “What were you doing outside in the middle of the night? Anything that had half a mind to could have taken you! And what did you do to hurt your ankle so bad? You need to be more careful, Yuuri!” She then had him doing drills the entire practice as punishment.

Yuuri lay down on the floor as soon as she gave him a break. He could feel her watching him. He lifted his head to look back. “What is it?”

“You seem to be in a good mood today,” she said. “Did something happen?”

His mind immediately went to Victor, and he automatically blushed. “No,” he said stubbornly.

She gave him a disbelieving look, but left him alone. Minako never pushed him harder than he could take. She clapped her hands. “Break time’s over. Now show me your plié again.”

She worked him up until the moment Mari walked through the door to pick him up.

“Make sure to rest up tonight,” she said to him before they left. “You have a busy week ahead of you,” she said with a grin.

He groaned and retreated into Mari’s bag so he could sneak in some rest on the walk home.

Once they were home, Yuuri took a bath in the teacup his mom kept aside for him and waited until the sun had set to go meet with Victor. He was climbing down the wall when arms suddenly wrapped around his waist and he was pulled off of his perch. He squealed in panic and clung to the hands holding him up.

He heard a giggle next to his ear. “Yuuuri,” Victor drawled. “I caught you~”

Yuuri gasped. “Victor!” The silver-haired fairy was flying over the flowers in the garden while carrying Yuuri. But he was too scared to appreciate the view. “P-put me down!”

“But isn’t this fun, Yuuri?”

Yuuri could feel himself shaking. “We’re gonna fall! Please, Victor!”

Victor became quiet, and they slowly descended. Once they were on the ground, Yuuri collapsed onto his hands and knees while he tried to calm his breathing. When he finally collected himself, he looked up and saw victor standing a few feet away. He was looking down so his bangs blocked his eyes. Yuuri stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and reached out to brush the bangs out of the fairy’s face. “Victor?” he asked with uncertainty.

When Victor looked up, his eyes were full of tears. It made his eyes look even bluer, and Yuuri was mesmerized.

“I’m sorry, Yuuri,” Victor sniffled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He pulled Victor into a hug. “Don’t cry, Victor,” he murmured while he pet his hair. “I was just surprised.”

Victor pulled back and looked at Yuuri with those blue blue eyes. “You don’t like surprises?” he asked with a tremble in his voice.

Yuuri’s heart started working double time. “W-well, I mean, some surprises are good I guess.”

Victor blinked his long eyelashes and somehow Yuuri’s heart beat even faster. “So it’s alright if I surprise you sometimes?”

“I’d be okay with most anything as long as I’m with you.” Yuuri said.

Victor blushed prettily. “Me too.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Yuuri stepped back and took Victor’s hand. He looked away as a belated attempt to keep Victor from seeing how flushed he was. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s go for a walk.”

After meeting under the cherry blossom tree the first few days, they started taking walks around the garden at night so Yuuri could enjoy his renewed mobility, and their walks had become best part of Yuuri’s day. He felt like he had dreamed the past few weeks. They had met under the cherry blossom tree every day since they’d met, trading stories about their homes and families. Yuuri had been surprised to find out that families in the fairy courts were different from human families. Apparently, all newborn fairies were all raised together in a kindergarten until they are old enough to be chosen as apprentices by the older fairies.

Victor loved to hear about humans as much as Yuuri loved to hear about fairies, so they decided to take turns asking questions to keep it fair.

Time always seemed to pass so quickly when they were together.

A month or so after the flying incident, Yuuri shyly began to ask more questions about flying itself. Victor’s wings had always fascinated him. His first experience flying had frightened him quite a bit, but his curiosity had him bringing up the topic again.

“What’s it like, being able to fly wherever you want?”

Victor perked up. They’d spent the last few minutes enjoying the flowers in a peaceful silence, and giving Yuuri the chance work up his courage, but Victor always seemed the happiest with Yuuri’s attention on him (a feeling that went both ways).

Victor stepped close to Yuuri and leaned down to whisper to him. “Would you like to find out?”

“Um, well-“ Yuuri couldn’t decide if he wanted to move closer or farther away.

“Yuuuri.” Victor’s breath was hot in his ear, and he shuddered. “Let me be your wings.”

“Wha-what?” Yuuri stuttered.

“Let me show you what it’s like to fly. To really fly.”

Yuuri pulls away from Victor’s hold enough to look him in the eye. “You’re serious?”

“Of course.”

After thinking about it, he decided to let Victor take him flying again-this time with Yuuri’s arms wrapped around Victor’s shoulders and the fairy holding him securely in a bridal carry.

As Victor took off, Yuuri tucked his face into Victor’s shoulder he was leaning on so he wouldn’t see the ground drop away. He could feel the wind ruffling his hair and clothes, chilling him a little despite the warm night.

And then the breeze lessened, and Victor whispered in his ear, “Open your eyes, Yuuri.”

How could Yuuri say no?

He slowly opened his eyes and pulled back from his reprieve. They were surrounded by the night sky, even with the top of the cherry tree in the opposite corner of the garden. He could see so much farther than ever before, he wondered if this is what humans felt like all the time. A glint in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see a lake glistening under the starlight. “Oh, Victor,” he murmured.

“Isn’t it beautiful, my Yuuri? Let me show you more.” Victor was looking at him with bright eyes.

“Okay.”

And then they were soaring even higher, and Victor flew in the direction of the lake. Yuuri gathered the courage to look down, and see how fast the trees were passing underneath them. But instead of feeling his usual anxious thoughts, he was filled with exhilaration. He started laughing from the joy that came with such freedom of movement.

They skimmed over the top of the lake and Yuuri reached out to feel the water run through his fingers. His hand created ripples across the reflection of the night sky on the surface of the water.

They reached the other side of lake and landed on a flat rock that was mostly clear of moss. Victor let him down easy, and Yuuri steadied himself with his hold on Victor’s shoulders. They looked at each other and smiled.

“I want to show you something, too,” Yuuri said. “Stay here.” He patted Victor’s shoulders as if he could pin the fairy in place, and walked to the center of the rock. He did a few basic stretches to warm up his muscles. When he was ready he took position to start on the program he’d been working on the past few weeks.

With one last glance at Victor, he started dancing.

He heard the music in his mind as he moved. He’d practiced so many times, he had every note memorized. He’d made this routine with Victor in mind, and as he danced he thought of what it felt like when he was with Victor: his nervousness, excitement, fear, and joy when they walked together every evening. It made him feel like he could fly on his own.

By the end of it he was panting, but he couldn’t deny the triumph he felt at performing it perfectly. He looked to see Victor’s reaction and was surprised when he saw the fairy running towards him.

“Yuuuuuri!” Victor tackled him with an aggressive hug that took both of them to the ground. Victor braced himself to look at Yuuri with sparkling eyes. “That was beautiful! Amazing! Gorgeous!”

Yuuri could feel the blush on his cheeks. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for showing me something so amazing, Yuuri~” Victor purred.

Yuuri’s blush deepened and he smiled. Unfortunately, with Victor on top of him, he had nowhere to hide his face. He pushed lightly on Victor’s shoulder. “Will you let me up now, Victor?”

“Oh, right. Sure.”

They moved so that they were sitting side by side looking out over the lake. After a minute Yuuri leaned over to rest his head on Victor’s shoulder. “I’m glad you brought me out here with you.”

“Me too,” Victor said softly.

“We should come out here again sometime.”

Victor hummed in agreement.

They sat in silence for a while until Yuuri reluctantly made to get up. “It’s getting late. I should get back soon.”

Victor pouted. “So soon?”

Yuuri laughed at the silly expression on his face. “We’ve been out here for at least an hour, Victor,” he said. “And my parents will wonder where I am.”

“Okay,” Victor sighed. He took Yuuri back in his arms and took off.

It took a few minutes to fly back, and when Victor was bringing them back down in the garden, Yuuri wished that he could have staying up in the air with Victor forever.

“I guess I should go,” Victor spoke softly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

Victor started to pull back, and Yuuri reached out to grab his arm. “Wait!” he said.

Victor stopped and looked at him. “Yuuri?”

Yuuri hesitated for a second, and then he stepped forward and kissed Victor on the cheek. When he pulled back, Victor was blushing. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Yuuri said, and he retreated to his house with a grin that refused to go away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Store up on the fluff now guys, the next few chapters might get a little bumpy...


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victuuri being adorable like they are meant to be  
> Yuuri is left with a difficult decision at the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So [this awesome person](https://dyeingdoll.tumblr.com/) made [amazing art](https://missellaineous.tumblr.com/post/172631251522/dyeingdoll-ive-read-this-cutest-tumbelina-au-by) of my fic?? It's so beautiful I am unworthy

The next time they meet, the air feels charged, as if they’re waiting for something to happen. Yuuri’s aware of Victor’s every movement and look, to the extent that his nerves are going haywire. Before, everything between them was easy, it felt natural to reach for Victor’s hand or to step a little bit closer. The fact that he was usually tired from practicing all day allowed his nerves to ease just enough to let him lean against Victor when they sat together.

Now the feeling of Victor’s eye on him made his skin tingle and erupt in goosebumps up his arms. He could only think about all the ways he could push Victor away. Even so, he didn’t regret it. He only wished his brain would shut up long enough that he could actually enjoy his time with Victor.

Victor seemed to sense how Yuuri was feeling, and one night they were sitting underneath a patch of hyacinths listening to the cicadas, when Victor asked him a question. “What is it you want from me, Yuuri? I could be a good friend, or the person who tells you stories about fairies. I could be your lover, or just someone who visits in the summer sometimes.” Victor didn’t look at him while he listed off the possibilities.

Yuuri frowned. What was that supposed to mean? “I just want you to be yourself, Victor. You don’t have to be anything you don’t want to be, at least not with me. I like you just the way you are.” He looked down and spoke the next sentence quieter. “I just want to spend time with you when I can.” He peeked at the fairy out of the corner of his eye.

Victor looked at him then, his eyes sparkling as he beamed at Yuuri. “I want that, too.”

They were quiet the rest of the night, but it was a comfortable silence, and Yuuri’s nerves finally calmed some during it. Before they parted they gave each other a long hug, and Yuuri never really wanted to pull away. But he was aware of his family asleep in the building behind him, and he was the first to let go.

Thankfully, ever since they’d first flown together, Victor had taken to dropping Yuuri off at the windowsill, rather than parting ways on the ground and leaving Yuuri with the long climb up. So Yuuri just had to slip under the cracked window and climbed the rope ladder up to his room before he went to bed.

 

The next evening, Yuuri noticed that Victor was acting strange.

“What’s wrong?” Yuuri asked.

“What? No, nothing’s wrong. What makes you think something’s wrong?” Victor chattered nervously.

Yuuri squinted at him. “Suspicious,” he muttered.

Victor laughed nervously and then acted like Yuuri had never said anything. Yuuri let it go for now, because he knew that eventually Victor would tell him what was going on. In the meantime, his nerves were focused on his surroundings, keeping aware in case of any disasters were incoming.

After they had been talking for a while, Victor cleared his throat and stood up. “Umm, Yuuri. I have something to show you. Would you come with me?” He held out a hand to Yuuri.

Yuuri reached up and placed his hand in Victor’s, trusting him. The fairy pulled him around to the other side of the cherry blossom tree and had him cover his eyes. Yuuri heard rustling, and then Victor telling him to open his eyes and look.

“Tada! This is Makkachin, my pet cricket!” Victor leaned down and started petting the bug enthusiastically, crooning at it in a baby voice. “Who’s my beautiful princess? Who’s my favorite girl? You are! That’s right, you are!”

The cricket waggled its rear end happily and nuzzled against Victor’s face. Yuuri shifted in place as he watched. Then the cricket stilled, as if Yuuri had caught its attention, and he stiffened to see what it would do. Without warning, it jumped toward him, catching him by surprise and causing him to fall over as the cricket wiggled happily on top of him. It nudged his hands insistently until he laughed and finally started to pet under it’s chin. “Hi!” Yuuri said in between giggles.

“Makkachin! How could you be so rude! I told you, we don’t jump on people.” Victor helped to push the critter off of Yuuri so he could stand up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Yuuri replied. “He looked down at the cricket sitting next to them. “She’s very cute, Victor.”

Victor grinned. “Isn’t she the best? I found her as a baby in the middle of winter, left abandoned in the open. I made sure she stayed safe until it warmed up outside, and now we’ll never be separated. Isn’t that right, Makka?” He bent down to pet Makkachin some more, and Yuuri joined him.

“Did you fly her here just to meet me?” Yuuri asked. After that tackled, he knew just how heavy Makkachin was, and he wondered how far Victor had carried her. It reminded him that he had no idea where exactly Victor lived, and that the only things he knew about him were things he told Yuuri himself. It made Yuuri want to learn everything he could about Victor.

“Of course! What would I do if my favorite pet and my favorite person didn’t get along?”

Yuuri blushed and looked down at Makkachin to try to hide his face.

After playing with Makkachin for a while, the late time seemed to catch up with the bug, and she settled down between them for warmth.

“I should get her home soon,” Victor said.

“Bring her back to play again sometime. I had a lot of fun.”

They said their goodbye’s, and that night Yuuri dreamed of playing with Victor and Makkachin in a meadow filled with flowers and sunshine.

 

After three months of summer sun, the weather was finally starting to get colder. The leaves were changing, and there was a cool breeze blowing through the garden.

“It’s been getting colder.” Victor looks off into the distance as he twists a blade of grass in his hands.

Yuuri watched him. He’d learned through experience to wait for Victor to come out with what he was gonna say.

“I’m going to be busier now, with the court and with winter coming,” he continued.

“Will you come back?” Yuuri asked, his heart heavy with the thought of never seeing Victor again.

Victor turned to him and took his hands. “Definitely, I’ll come back as soon as I can. Will you wait for me?” He looked at Yuuri with bright blue eyes.

Yuuri blushed and nodded.

“And, maybe, you could think about coming with me then? After I come back?” Victor bit his lip nervously.

Yuuri blinked, startled. “Y-you want me to come with you?”

Victor nodded eagerly. “You could meet my family, and I can show you how beautiful the court looks at sunset, and we could dance together every night as the musicians play! You’d love it there, Yuuri.”

Yuuri ducked his head shyly and looked up at Victor through his eyelashes. “They’d be okay with me not hav- not being like you?”

Victor let go of one of his hands in favor of cupping his cheek and leaning closer. “You’re amazing, Yuuri. I’m sure everyone’s gonna love you. They definitely want to meet you, I talk about you all the time!”

“Th-they want to meet me? You t-tell them ab-bout me?” Yuuri squeaked.

“Of course! You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, Yuuri,” Victor replied. “You don’t have to answer right now. But promise you’ll think about it? While I’m away?”

Yuuri looked into Victor’s eyes, and the sparkle in them that always made his stomach flip. Before he was aware of it he was nodding yes, and Victor had leaned forward to wrap his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders in a hug. Yuuri brought his arms up to wrap around Victor’s waist, and he leaned his head on Victor’s shoulder. Victor was always pleasantly cool against Yuuri in the heat.

Reluctantly, Victor pulled away. “I have to go. The King and Queen will be wondering where I am. Don’t forget, Yuuri.  I’ll come back to get your answer soon.”

Yuuri nodded again, and Victor slipped out of his arms and took off. Victor waved goodbye and disappeared over the fence of Yuuri’s mom garden.

Yuuri felt the ache in his chest that appeared every time Victor left, and vanished every time he came back to see Yuuri. This time it felt even heavier, as Yuuri recalled the decision he had promised to make for Victor.

How long would he be gone? What would he tell him family? Would the other fairies really accept him like Victor said?

Yuuri didn’t think he’d be getting any sleep at all that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm sorry it took so long to post this chapter! But I finally got my motivation back, and next chapter things are gonna get crazy! Thank you for your continued interest in my little Thumbelina au!

**Author's Note:**

> If anybody wants to shoot me a message you can find me at my tumblr https://missellaineous.tumblr.com/  
> Comments and kudos are appreciated, and thank you so much for reading!


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